Serenity
by redhatladyfan
Summary: Carmen has just stolen one of Monet's paintings of Water Lilies. Zack, Ivy and Jeremy are the detectives who are on the case and plan to put an end to her crime spree. If they can...  This story follows the tempo of the cartoon.
1. Chapter 1 Jeremy

Author Note: I'm a little bit ahead of schedule so here is the story to kick off my one month anniversary of being on this site. I'm unsure on how to spell her henchman's name, so I just made it up. I searched for the correct spelling but didn't find anything.

Disclaimer: I do not own the characters of Carmen Sandiego, Zack, Ivy, the Chief or any henchmen related to the cartoon. They are owned by whoever owns Cookie Jar (WOEICS) and the Learning Company (Carmen Sandiego franchise).

(Youth karate tournament – Sat)

Ivy and Jeremy were doing a doubles kata. Each stance, punch and kick was in perfect unison. It looked like a beautifully choreographed synchronized dance, worthy of an encore. When they were finished they bowed at the judges, each other and the audience. Everyone clapped.

"Sounds like we did a great job" said Jeremy putting his hand on Ivy's shoulder.

Ivy smiled and said "Well, we did practice a lot."

Jeremy could hear the excitement and relief in her voice, and this made him happy. They joined the ACME team and waited for the score. It felt like an eternity, but more like a couple of minutes.

"The score for the ACME doubles kata is 9.0"

All the ACME team members jumped up and cheered. It was the score they needed to put ACME in first place.

(ACME HQ – Mon)

Zack and Ivy had just entered the main compute room, as it was their turn to use the main database.

"Man Ivy I can't believe you won first place. ACME hasn't won first place in over 7 years!" Zack said looking at his sister with admiration.

"It wasn't just me, little bro, it was a team effort. We all have been practicing for months. Everyone has improved tremendously" Ivy said looking at her impressionable little brother.

Jeremy came in with Stretch the Crime Dog. Stretch was sniffing the floor, like he was following a scent.

"How's it going?" he asked, pulling in Stretch who was tugging at the leash. Zack walked over to them.

"Hey Jeremy my man. I want to say congrats on winning first place. Wish I could have been there but I was at a skateboarding contest." he shook Jeremy's hand and bent down to scratch Stretch behind his ear.

"Thanks Zack"

The Chief appeared on the computer screen. He wore a party hat, blew a kazoo and chanted "We're number one. We're number one" A parade appeared and showed people waving and cheering.

Then sirens went off.

"Hot Tip! Hot Tip! Hotter than a hot potato. (a smoking and sizzling potato rolls past the Chief's head who just watches it roll by) Carmen and her henchman Forchen Hunter stole a painting by the famous French artist Claude Monet called Water Lilies from right here in San Francisco at the Fine Arts Museums of, you guessed it, San Francisco. Monet painted numerous paintings about the water lily pond in his back yard. They can be found in museums around the world and private collections. Good thing his inspiration wasn't things you can find stuck to the bottom of your shoe. (a brown shoe with gum stuck to the bottom of it appears and steps on the Chief's head and gets stuck. Then a bigger potato rolls on screen and the Chief runs away screaming with the shoe still on his head). Zack, Ivy and Jeremy laugh.

"From the way the Chief sounded he must have looked like a sight" said Jeremy who was still laughing.

"He was" laughed Ivy.

"Well what are we waiting for let's head on over there" said Zack who was already walking out the door.

Ivy and Jeremy followed. Stretch jerked the leash out of Jeremy's hand. He was hot on a scent and was in a sniffing hurry. Jeremy and Ivy laughed. Then Jeremy took out his white cane and talking to Ivy as they walked to the C-5 car.

(Fine Arts Museums of San Francisco)

The curator was standing by the wall where the painting once hung. She had her hands on her hips and was shaking her head. She turned around and saw three children headed her way.

"I'm sorry this part of the museum is closed."

"We are with ACME Detective Agency" said Ivy in an authoritative tone and showed the curator her badge.

"My apologies detectives, it's just that I am so upset. That painting was supposed to go on display with the others that we have leased for a special viewing. Now what am I going to do?"

"We will get to the bottom of this" said Ivy, Jeremy and Zack nodded their heads.

"Thank you. I know I can count on ACME to bring back the painting. Now if you excuse me I must go make arrangements for the rest of the viewing" the curator walked away.

"I don't see any sign of a clue" said Zack looking at the nearby walls and floor.

"That's impossible. She must have left it here somewhere" said Ivy who began to look around.

"Um guys?...Do art museums have live flowers?" asked Jeremy.

"Uh..no" said Zack who was on his hands and knees looking underneath the benches.

Jeremy followed the scent moving his cane from side to side along the floor. He found the spot where the scent was very strong. His cane his something and it sounded like it contained water.

"Ivy? Can you come here?"

"What is it?"

As she got closer she could smell the flowers and saw what Jeremy's cane hit. She bent down to pick it up.

"Zack over here" Ivy yelled.

"Alright. You found the clue."

"Jeremy found it. It's a bowl that has floating wooden block in it. Irises are painted on the block and it's scented" Ivy said trying not to spill the water out of the bowl.

"I wonder what it means?" said Jeremy.

"I don't know. We should take this back to HQ and see what we can find. Zack you take the bowl and C-5 back. Jeremy and I will take the car" Ivy instructed.

"Why, you promised I could drive back" whined Zack.

"And risk you stopping short or running over a speed bump too fast and spilling the clue. Believe me Zack this way is a lot safer."

Zack reluctantly C-5'd back to HQ. Jeremy and Ivy headed to the car.

Author Note: I figured why C-5 to a local place when they can just drive there.


	2. Chapter 2 aMUSEing

(ACME HQ)

The clue was sitting on the table and Zack was splashing his fingers in the water. He heard noises outside of the door.

"Finally!" an irritated Zack said when Jeremy and Ivy walked into the main computer room.

"Relax Zack. You can drive the car all you want once we've solved this case" Ivy said attempting to reassure her little brother who didn't seem to be buying it.

Ivy walked over to the bowl and looked at the clue again. Jeremy was there standing over it.

"These Irises smell really good. They remind me of a Van Gogh painting that was once described to me" he said with a furrowed brow.

"Why would she give us a block of wood, floating in water with Irises painted on it?" asked Zack.

The Chief appeared on screen.

"Howdy-ho… what we lookin' at?" he said looking at all three detectives bent over a bowl.

"Hi Chief" they all said, but no one looked up.

Finally, Ivy looked up.

"It's the clue Carmen gave us. It's not really making any sense it's a block of wood floating in water with Irises painted on it, but I think our best bet is to start with what Jeremy said. He said that the Irises' smell remind him of a Van Gogh painting"

The Chief was processing the information and came up with "And he's absoluto correctamundo! Van Gogh did a painting called _Irises_ that he did while living in an asylum called Saint Paul-de-Mausole in Saint-Rémy-de-Provence in France. It was said that the painting was influenced by the Japanese technique ukiyo-e, which means pictures of a floating world. A ukiyo-e painting doesn't follow the usual painting parameters like other paintings. When Van Gogh painted _Irises _he used a lot of strong outlines and close-up views of the flowers. Painting this way was said to help him relax. The painting can be found at the J. Paul Getty Museum in Los Angeles, CA."

"Wow, this is really bold of Carmen to pull off a heist during the day when there is going to be people around" said Jeremy.

"Yeah, but when has Carmen done anything subtle?" Ivy said jokingly.

"Well let's do this. Player C- 5 us to the J. Paul Getty Museum in LA" said Zack.

The blue portal appeared and all three detectives stepped in.

(J. Paul Getty Museum)

Carmen and Forchen Hunter had already left the museum. They were able to make off with the painting as the wing was being prepared for a major Van Gogh exhibit and visitors weren't allowed in that area. Carmen timed the heist for when the security guards changed their shifts, which left a ½ hour window of opportunity. She, also, scrambled the security cameras in this area so the main security was unaware of her presence. Her henchmen were waiting for the detectives to arrive. They were dressed in plain clothes but were wearing their signature hats, sunglasses and gloves. The blue orb appeared and out popped the three detectives.

"Get'em! " yelled one of the henchmen.

One ran towards Zack with his arms open ready to grab him, but Zack moved out of the way causing the henchman to fall on the floor and hit his head. Ivy dropped kicked one as he was running towards her. The last one thought Jeremy would be an easy catch, but found out the hard way. Jeremy could hear the henchman's footsteps and heavy breathing as he got closer. Jeremy moved out of the way and tripped him with his cane. The henchman fell hard. All three henchmen were lying on the floor holding their wounds. Zack and Ivy put handcuffs on them and called for reinforcements.

"Wow, no one form the museum seems to be here? Maybe they don't know?" observed Zack who was looking around.

"That's odd. I'll go tell them" Ivy said and walked the other way.

"I wonder where the Carmen clue is? I don't smell anything fragrant" said Jeremy who began to walk around the room, moving his cane back and forth to listen if it hit anything odd sounding.

He stopped when he heard Zack yell "I found it. I think?"

Jeremy made his way to Zack and said "What is it?"

Zack handed Jeremy the clue, just as Ivy returned with a confuse curator.

"I don't understand. It's impossible!" she said looking at the blank space where the picture once stood "We take every precaution possible to ensure all of our paintings are…secure."

"Nothing is secure when it comes to Carmen. Don't worry Ma'am we'll have it back as soon as we can" Ivy said reassuringly.

"Thank you, I know you will" she said and walked away still in disbelief at what she was just told.

Ivy saw the clue in Jeremy's hand.

"It feels like a hat" he said running his fingers over the brim. Then his fingers moved over some bumps. "Hey, I feel something else. It's brail. They're initials. They spell out P R P and M T W."

"PRP and MTW? Why would Carmen put those initials on a red hat?" asked Zack.

"And it doesn't resemble her hat" said Ivy taking the clue from Jeremy "Player find out if the initials PRP and MTW mean anything."

The Chief's voice is heard "PRP is an acronym for a variety of things..uh..Potentially Responsible Party, Psychological Refractory Period, or Platelet-Rich Plasma just to name a few. Then MTW can stand for Metric Tons of Weight, Maximum Transmission Window, Monday Tuesday Wednesday. I can go on and on."

"So far what Carmen has stolen has to do with art. Maybe these are famous artist initials?" said Jeremy.

"Hey, you're onto something" said Zack. "Player cross-reference famous artists who have the initials PRP or MTW."

"Well Pablo Ruiz Picasso is one, but his real name is (Chief takes a deep breath) Pablo Diego José Francisco de Paula Juan Nepomuceno María de los Remedios Cipriano de la Santísima Trinidad Ruiz y Picasso" (he exhales). No searches for MTW are found.

"Wait a second. Maybe MTW isn't a famous artist but an inspiration. You know how Van Gogh was inspired by the ukiyo-e technique and Monet was by his pond, well MTW can stand for Picasso's inspiration" said Jeremy.

"You're right" said Ivy "Player cross-reference Picasso with the initials MTW."

"Marie-Thérèse Walter was Picasso's famous muse. She can be found in many of his paintings, such as The Dream, Woman in Hat and Fur Collar an.."

"Whoa, wait. Woman in Hat and Fur Collar? That's gotta be it" interrupted Ivy.

"This painting can be found at the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain" said the Chief.

"Player C-5 us to the Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya in Barcelona, Spain" said Zack.

The blue portal appeared and all three detectives stepped in.


	3. Chapter 3 Greatness Revealed

(Museu Nacional d'Art de Catalunya)

Carmen and ForChen Hunter descended into the dimly lit room from an air ventilation shaft. She had disrupted the museum's security system, giving them 5 minutes to lift the painting and leave. The museum guards were not going coming back for another 45 minutes. They began to walk into the next room where the paining was. Her high heels lightly hit the floor, as if she was walking on air. They stood in front of Woman in Hat and Fur Collar.

"Look at the brush strokes ForChen, every mound or line of paint can be seen up close but from afar they all converge into one masterpiece" Carmen said admiring the painting.

"How much is it worth?" he said greedily.

She turned to him, "Haven't you learned anything from these heists? There are more important things in life besides money. These artists have found happiness in the simplest of forms, and a result we are able to view their happiness in their paintings."

"Yeah, I guess there is more to life than just money" he said and took down the painting.

A blue orb appeared and out stepped the three detectives.

"Put that back ForChen" ordered Zack.

"Greeting Detectives, I'm glad to see that you have as much appreciation for art as I do. I'd love to stay and discuss Cubism with you, but I gotta run" said Carmen who turned around and ran.

Ivy grabbed a hold of Jeremy's arm and they ran after Carmen, leaving Zack to deal with ForChen. ForChen rested the painting against the wall and was in a faceoff with Zack. He took out his boomerang and threw it towards Zack who ducked. Zack looked behind him to see it coming back and ducked.

ForChen laughed and said "What's the matter Joey, don't know how to have a little fun?" Then he threw his boomerang at Zack again.

Zack rolled out of the way and took out a sack of marbles from his pocket and threw them near ForChen's feet. Then he jumped up and caught the boomerang.

Zack turned around, "You want it? Come and get it?" and stuck out his tongue and cross his eyes.

"Hey give that back" yelled ForChen who began to run full speed towards Zack but stepped on the marbles and fell hard onto his back. Zack went over to him and cuffed him. He alerted the authorities.

Ivy and Jeremy were doing their best to close the gap, but Carmen was too fast. She leaped into the air and grabbed a hold of the rope. The sudden pull of her weight caused it to rapidly recoil.

Ivy put Jeremy's hand on it "Hold on tight" she said then jumped up causing their rope to recoil.

Carmen was already near the opening when they reached the mid-point. When they finally reached the top Jeremy got up followed by Ivy. Carmen was standing by her craft. The other two paintings were neatly wrapped and lying on the roof.

"You have the makings of a great detective Jeremy. I tip my hat to you" said Carmen who did just that.

"Thanks Carmen" said Jeremy, who couldn't help but smile. After all he was complimented by Carmen Sandiego.

Ivy ran towards Carmen, but the top to her craft had sealed shut and she took off. Jeremy walked towards Ivy and stood next to her. The residual wind from the take off still hung in the air.

_Player: Sounds like you were impressed by Jeremy._

_Carmen: The only limitation a person puts on oneself is what they believe they can't do. Jeremy believed that he could and, that, Player is what helps people achieve great things. See you next crime… _


End file.
